Ian St. John
Ian "Hunter" St. John was a veteran human pilot one of the best in the service of the Terran Confederation during the Kilrathi War. Personal Biography Ian St. John was born in Brisbane, Australia in the year 2627.Claw Marks He had one sister and two brothers. His family had a long history of service with the Terran Confederation, and Ian and his brothers would all make their contribution to the war effort when the Kilrathi War broke out in 2634. He developed a liking for tobacco products and often chewed on cigars in combat. Ian entered service sometime in the 2640s and served on the . Years before 2654, he came to the where he racked up an impressive number of kills in the years he has been stationed there and held the rank of Captain in his active role in the Vega Campaign. :He and Redbird were assigned to protect the ''Claw from a Kilrathi attack in the Chengdu system.'' He became a close friend and wingman to Christopher Blair when that pilot was assigned to the Tiger's Claw, and they flew on several high-profile missions together. In fact, Hunter was one of the two victors of the Vega Campaign. Flying alongside Blair, Hunter fought in the Venice system, the home of the Kilrathi Sector Command for the entire Sector. The two pilots destroyed dozens of fighters, a Cruiser, and the Kilrathi Starbase orbiting Venice, winning the Vega Sector for the Terran Confederation. Following his success at Venice, Hunter cooperated in Operation: Thor's Hammer, the Terran operation to destroy the Kilrathi Armada that destroyed the human colony of Goddard. While investigating what happened to the colony, he and Blair flew as Alpha Wing; they engaged a and then defended the and the when those two ships raced to save Goddard during the attack. Soon after they flew again as Kappa Wing to protect an attack of Krants and Grathas against the Claw and then proceeded to clean the system from Kilrathi presence, including a Lumbari and a and their escort. Around that time landing parties arrived to Goddard to investigate what happened to the colony. After the success of Thor's Hammer, Hunter joined in the human defense of Firekka, where the native Firekkans were joining the Confederation in 2655. At one point Hunter did a two-point 'touch and go' landing instead of using the ACLS and snapped off one of his ship's laser cannons, broke three aerials, and terrified the flight deck crew, for which he was scolded by Peter Halcyon. He managed to win a ticket to visit the planet after defeating fellow pilot Mariko Tanaka in a card game and befriended a number of the Firekkans. When the Kilrathi attacked that planet, Hunter went to its defense. On 2655.271, Lord Ralgha nar Hhallas of the defected to the Confederation. Hunter defended his vessel by destroying the Fralthi-class Cruiser . Hunter almost gets himself grounded when he steals a Dralthi Medium Fighter from the Ras Nik'hra and goes for a joyride. However, in doing so he saved the from an incoming Kilrathi ambush. Finally, he covered the Tiger's Claw during her retreat from the nearby Corsair System. Firekka soon freed itself from the Kilrathi siege. He became a flock-friend of the Firekkans afterwards. In the year 2656, the Tiger's Claw was destroyed by the Kilrathi during its attempt to destroy the Kilrathi Sector HQ at K'tithrak Mang in the Enigma Sector. Since he was on leave, Hunter survived. He later meets with his Firekkan and Kilrathi friend Kirha from the Ras Nik'hra on Sol Station, where they agree to rescue Firekkan captives on Ghorah Khar, a Kilrathi planet in the midst of rebelling against their leaders. With help from fellow Claw pilot James Taggart, they succeed. In 2668, Hunter was reassigned to the , the same vessel Colonel Blair and other surviving Claw pilots were on. He fought at the Battle of Munro and was among the signers of the 2668 Armistice, proposed by the Kilrathi. He retired from active service afterwards, but rejoined in Special Operations with James Taggart to determine if the Armistice was a ploy to weaken Confed's guard. On 2669.341, Hunter died in Hari airspace while defending his comrades from Kilrathi attackers. His P-64 Ferret Light Fighter was shot down by six missiles and even though Hunter could've ejected, he chose to fight to the death. Character He loved flying for its thrills. Killing the Kilrathi was just a bonus to him. Kilrathi opponenets tend to be baffled by his unpredictable, spontaneous flying style. HE is sometimes accused of excessive independence and a casual attitude toward regulations, believing that everything is given to push to the limit, but he'd never leave his wingleader hanging.